In District 1 Military Supreme Headquarters

  TING TING TING

  [ --Emergency Meeting in 25 Minutes --War Room 2 - Grand General Nathaniel Bckthorn]

  Notification flooded in everyone's NIPs.

  "What is going on?" Major General Sofia Bergman stood from her chair, voice sharp.

  "Madam. There is an explosion at the District 7 research facility," the officer replied, reading the report from his desk hologram dispy.

  Grand General Nathaniel Bckthorn—commanding officer, highest ranking officer for the whole Chrysalis dominion. S-css War hero. Most powerful Magnetic Master. The one who could lift bridges with his power. This was how people knew him. Everyone respected him. Everyone feared him.

  "What's going on? After just 10 years since the war ended on Earth, they've forgotten how to secure a single military base?" General Rasmus ?kesson shouted at the officers surrounding the table dispying live holographic footage of District 7's current situation.

  Grand General Nathaniel Bckthorn stepped into the chamber, his boots striking the steel floor with resonant precision. Every eye turned toward him, conversations halting midbreath.

  "Please connect us with the current commanding officer in District 7," he instructed, his voice steady and deliberate.

  The holographic dispy showed a high-rank officer. He saluted Grand General Nathaniel and began reading his report at Nathaniel Bckthorn's request.

  The officer's voice grew grim as he detailed the casualties—hundreds of officers and scientists, their bodies found among the rubble and ash. Dozens of students, bright minds of tomorrow, now injured and scarred by an attack no one saw coming.

  "So that means someone infiltrated the facility. Why didn't the AI security system pick it up?" General Nathaniel asked the District 7 commanding officer.

  "We believe someone neutralized the surveilnce system minutes before the explosion. We're still conducting an investigation to determine the cause," the officer answered quickly.

  "Please ensure there's a full report about the incident within the next 48 hours," General Nathaniel commanded, his voice quiet yet carrying the weight of iron—not a request but an absolute that no one would dare challenge.

  "Hello there! Can you hear me? You're looking a bit dazed!"The cheerful voice echoed around Theon.

  [WARNING: UNSTABLE CONNECTIVITY]

  The warning message was the first thing he saw when he opened his eyes.He floated in a space without direction or dimension, surrounded by a soft, ambient glow.

  "Where am I? Am I dead?" The words came out hoarse, barely more than a breath. Heavy with confusion.

  Ha.. ha

  "Dead? Oh, not at all! Well, not exactly alive either, at least not in the conventional sense. But definitely not dead. I should know—I've been not-dead here for quite some time!"

  The voice came from everywhere and nowhere at once—clear, lively, and oddly comforting despite the circumstances.

  "Who are you? What happened?" Theon tried to look around, but there was nothing to see—just endless gentle light.

  "Ah, introductions! I'm Darius Nazari. Just Darius will do. As for what happened—well, there was a bit of an explosion. Quite spectacur, from what I could tell. The crystal you were admiring destabilized. The energy surge was... how shall I put it? Catastrophic."

  Theon tried to move, to sit up, but realized he couldn't feel his body at all.

  [WARNING: Neural Signals Are Too Weak]

  The message fshed red across the edge of his vision, blinking in a frantic rhythm.

  What? What's happening to me?

  "Don't panic!" Darius said quickly. "You're in what we call a Dimenzia Fold—a spatial anomaly outside normal space-time. When the bst occurred, you were thrown in here... though not intact, I'm afraid. If that hadn't happened, the bst would have killed you instantly."

  "What do you mean, not intact?" Horror washed over Theon as he tried to comprehend.

  "The explosion was powerful. Your arms and legs were severed. Your body was severely burned. When it happened, the energy surge charged all of my crystal stones to full power. This allowed me to heal you, reattach your limbs, and repair your broken parts. But you're still weak."

  Ugh... so.. that was that unbearable pain…

  Images fshed through Theon's mind—the blinding light, the wave of energy, his body being torn apart. He shuddered, though he couldn't feel the physical response.

  "How long have I been here?"

  "Time works differently here. For you, it's been about a week of healing sleep. Outside, approximately fifty minutes have passed."

  "Only fifty minutes? That's... how is that possible?"

  "The Dimenzia Fold exists beyond conventional dimensions. There's a device here—the ChronoDrive—powered by what I call a Harmonic Core. Looks like a crystal, but it's much more. It accelerates time inside this space at roughly 200 times normal flow."

  "I need to get back! My mom, my sisters—they'll be worried!"

  A pause. "I'm afraid it's not that simple. There's a problem."

  "What problem?"

  Darius's voice echoed from everywhere and nowhere at once, as it always did.

  "The only way out is to destroy the Fold. I have the power to do that now… but your body—"

  He paused, the air itself seeming to hold its breath.

  "It's far too weak to survive the exit. Your bone density, muscle mass, cellur integrity… they're all too fragile. The energy released during the colpse would tear you apart."

  A cold shiver ran down Theon's spine—one that had nothing to do with the air around him.

  "So I'm trapped here? Forever?"

  For a moment, there was silence. Then Darius spoke again, slower, more reflective.

  "There might be a way," Darius continued, now focused.

  "I can help you strengthen your body. Reinforce bones, enhance muscle fibers, stabilize cellur structure. My abilities allow me to manipute biological material at its foundation. But it won't be easy. It'll hurt. And it'll take time."

  "How much time?"

  "With how fragile you are now? Several months, minimum. Still I cannot be sure you will survive."

  Months.

  Theon's thoughts raced. His mother. Her failing health. His sisters.

  Waiting.

  Wondering.

  "Wait.. you said only fifty minutes have passed outside. If I stay here for months…"

  "The ChronoDrive's dition will continue accelerating. Five months here may only be a day or two there—maybe even hours. They'll worry, but they won't mourn."

  "You're a clever one, aren't you?" Darius said with a gravelly chuckle.

  "And there's no other way? No secret exit? No door?" Theon asked again to crify.

  "None."

  The voice was resolute now.

  "The Dimenzia Fold must be colpsed to escape. And that requires an energy release greater than the bst that brought you here. We need to prepare your body to endure that energy."

  Darius's tone changed."You are always welcome to stay with me. Although you are already stuck with me. We can bet how long your body will survive if you're up for it." He was now thinking out loud.

  "I bet it will not st 200 years. Probably 100, less... 50 maybe."

  Theon fell silent, weighing his choices.

  Agonizing pain and isotion… or stuck forever.

  When framed like that, there was only one real option.

  "What do I need to do?"

  "Rest for now. Tomorrow, we begin."

  As if Darius had flipped a switch, exhaustion swept over Theon. As he drifted into unconsciousness, one thought persisted.

  I'm going to survive this. I have to.

  The next day when Theon opened his eyes, he was in a bed.He sat up. He could feel his body again.He started testing his limbs, relieved to find them functioning normally.

  He came out of the small hut-like house.It was a beautiful forest—complete with trees, grass, and a small waterfall feeding into a crystal-clear pond. It felt magical.

  Darius appeared in front of Theon. He looked like a middle-aged man,but with a timeless face and enigmatic aura around him.He wore a white dress and long coat resembling a modernized robe with glowing circur patterns. Theon had never seen clothing like that in real life.

  Theon narrowed his eyes. Darius looked… human, but something felt off.

  "Don't be fooled by appearances," Darius said, catching Theon's expression. "This is just a construct. Not my real body."

  Theon frowned. "Then… are you somewhere else? Or—"

  "I'm stuck here, just like you." Darius cut in. "Been here a long time. A human body wouldn't st. Now, I'm part of the Fold itself."

  Theon's heart felt a glimpse of fear.

  Is that what will happen to me if the process fails?

  Theon looked around, awestruck. "This pce... is it real?"

  "The Dimenzia Fold is real enough," Darius replied.

  "It's outside normal space, but it exists. This forest—" the leaves rustled as if to agree, "—is something I've shaped over time. It's as real as you are."

  Theon stood, testing his legs. Everything felt normal—better than normal, actually. The chronic fatigue that had pgued him for years was gone.

  "Go to the pond," Darius instructed. "Immerse yourself in the water."

  Tap... tap... tap...

  Theon approached the water cautiously. "What's going to happen?"

  "I'm going to break your bones. Thousands of micro-fractures, precisely targeted. When they heal, they'll be stronger. But first, the cold water will help with the pain."

  "Wait, what—" Theon began, but he was already stepping into the pond. The water was freezing, sending shock waves through his system.

  SSSHHHHHHH

  Then the real pain started.

  It began in his fingers—a sensation like gss shattering under his skin. Then it spread up his arms, into his chest, down to his toes. Every bone in his body seemed to crack simultaneously.

  CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

  Theon screamed,

  ARGH!

  Thrashing in the water. The pain was beyond anything he'd ever experienced—beyond anything he'd thought possible.

  [WARNING: Extreme Pain Detected][Threat to Consciousness: Imminent]

  "Breathe," Darius commanded.

  "Focus on your breath. I know it hurts—believe me, I've been through something simir. But pain is just information. Acknowledge it, then set it aside."Somehow, Theon managed to comply, drawing shuddering breaths through clenched teeth. Minutes passed, or hours—he couldn't tell. Eventually, the pain subsided to a dull, throbbing ache as Darius slowly healed the fractures, leaving them stronger than before.

  "Good. Now we exercise."

  "You can't be serious," Theon gasped. "I can barely move."

  "That's exactly why we must begin now. Your body will adapt faster if we don't allow it to stagnate. Think of it as a forge—we've heated the metal, now we must hammer it into shape."

  Reluctantly, Theon pulled himself from the water. Every movement sent fresh waves of pain through his system, but he forced himself to stand.

  "Run. As far as you can."

  It wasn't much of a run—more of a stumbling walk that occasionally accelerated into a shambling jog. Every step he took, pain shot through his body. Every movement was torture. But Theon persisted, driven by the knowledge that this was his only chance at survival.

  THUD!

  By the time he colpsed onto the grass, the sun was setting in this artificial sky.

  "You did well for your first day," Darius said. "Rest now. Tomorrow will be harder, but you'll be stronger too. That's the bargain we make with pain."

  Chrysalis dominion - one of the 7 nations in the current new world, controlled under The United Terranova Council (UTC). With its 53 districts spanning across a region in the old world known as Europe.